Pretoria - A project aimed at improving health service delivery in KwaZulu-Natal is yielding benefits, as hospital service improves and healthcare workers begin to display respect and positive attitudes to patients.
The "Make me look like a hospital" project was announced by provincial Health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo. It follows the introduction of the National Core Standards as part of the department's commitment to providing the best quality care to patients and users of health services - all geared towards meeting patients' expectations and needs, and improving service delivery.
Highlighting some of the project's achievements, Dhlomo noted that the issuing of Out Patient Department cards to clients by clerks has been reduced to 15 minutes and the waiting time for medication has improved from days to 35 minutes.
"At Prince Mshiyeni Memorial, the management has introduced what they call Staff Imbizo, which has been held twice, in July 2010 and in February 2011, and will henceforth be conducted quarterly.
"The Minister of Health has pointed out that Mahatma Gandhi Memorial is one of the cleanest hospitals in the country. In his words, he said he would give it 98 percent for cleanliness. In the two hospitals, senior management teams have initiated weekly walkabouts where problems are identified, action plans are developed and implemented," Dhlomo said while presenting a report on the department's progress in service delivery to the provincial legislature on Thursday.
The department also held meetings with the management teams at district and hospital levels, as well as conducting unannounced visits to hospitals and clinics.
"Our requests are very simple and do not require hospital CEOs to know the Pythagoras theorem. We are not asking for extraordinary things, all we ask for is reduce waiting time, make hospitals clean, make medicines available, change staff attitudes, make hospitals safe and secure for staff and patients, and managers must walk about to identify problems so that they are resolve where and when they occur," Dhlomo said.
He added that the dehumanising effects of dirty facilities and lack of basic amenities like clean sheets have often caused people to protest.
The main purpose of the National Core Standards is to develop a common definition of quality of care, establish a benchmark against which health establishments can be assessed, gaps identified, strengths appraised and provide a national framework to certify health establishments as compliant with standards.
Meanwhile, Dhlomo announced that 47 officials have either resigned, been dismissed and/or are appearing in various courts for acts of misconduct relating to corrupt activities in the department.
Twenty officials have been suspended by the department in the month of May 2011 alone to allow officials to finalise the investigations and for the internal disciplinary processes to continue without hindrance.
"Corruption in the public service has appeared as a recurring concern which this government has committed to root out. Public sector corruption is revealed in relation to public procurement and access to opportunities and anti-corruption efforts continue to be high on the agenda of our department," Dhlomo said, thanking cooperation between the various government departments and agencies who are working tirelessly to rid public service of corruption.
